Hot Topics:

Breaking News

Gabrielle Giffords attends vigil one year after Tucson shooting

By Amanda Lee Myers The Associated Press

Posted:
01/09/2012 01:00:00 AM MST

Updated:
01/09/2012 01:19:21 AM MST

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, light a candle during a vigil
Sunday in Tucson remembering the victims and survivors of the shooting one year ago
that wounded Giffords and 12 others and killed six. (Rob Schumacher, The Associated Press)

TUCSON — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords led a crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, her words ringing out across a cold Tucson night in a rare public appearance Sunday evening at a candlelight vigil one year after surviving a deadly shooting.

The Democratic congresswoman — who has struggled to relearn to walk after being shot in the head — stepped onstage to cheers from the crowd. Ron Barber, a staffer who was wounded in the rampage that killed six, invited her to lead the audience in the pledge.

The crowd chanted, "Gabby, Gabby." She limped to the podium, and her husband, Mark Kelly, helped lift her left hand over her heart. After months of intensive speech therapy, Giffords recited the pledge with the audience, head held high and a smile on her face as she punched each word.

Photos: Arizona Shooting

The remembrance at the University of Arizona capped off a day of events, including a church service that drew hundreds in the afternoon and a citywide bell-ringing at 10:11 a.m., the exact time a gunman started shooting at a Safeway political event Jan. 8, 2011.

With hugs and tears, southern Arizonans remembered the dead, the shattered lives and those who acted heroically after a gunman opened fire at an outdoor meet-and-greet that severely wounded Giffords and 12 others.

"Even in the midst of this troubling year, the healing, the courage that we have experienced in our community — each one of us can notice how our cups overflow with the blessings of our lives," said Stephanie Aaron, Giffords' rabbi, who recited the 23rd Psalm at an interfaith service at the cathedral Sunday afternoon.

Advertisement

Relatives of the six dead walked solemnly down the aisle with a single red rose, placing the flowers in a vase in front of a picture of a heart.

Hundreds of people at the cathedral — including Gov. Jan Brewer — stood and chanted, "We remember, we remember, we remember with grateful hearts." Some closed their eyes while others held each other.

At the evening service, 19 candles marked the lost and the survivors. Giffords and Kelly lit one candle together as an orchestra played and many in the crowd wept. The emotional service brought together many who survived the shooting and those who lost loved ones.

Suzi Hileman, who was shot three times, took the stage, hugged Giffords and walked to the candle area. She lit one, put her hands over her heart and mouthed "thank you" to the crowd.

Giffords, 41, has spent the last year in Houston undergoing intensive physical and speech therapy in a recovery that doctors and family have called miraculous. She is able to walk and talk, vote in Congress and gave a televised interview to ABC's Diane Sawyer in May.

But doctors have said it would take many months to determine the lasting effects of her brain injury. The three-term congresswoman has four months to decide whether to seek re-election.

Barber said he spent time with Giffords on Friday and Saturday.

"Even though it's a hard weekend for her and all of us, she wanted to be here with her community to remember," he said. "She's sad, we're all sad, and she's glad to be home."

Jared Lee Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the shooting. The 23-year-old, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is being forcibly medicated at a Missouri prison facility in an effort to make him mentally ready for trial.

President Barack Obama called Giffords on Sunday to offer his support and tell her he and the first lady are keeping her, the families of those killed and the whole Tucson community in their thoughts and prayers, according to the White House. He said Giffords was an inspiration to all Americans.

Quotes

"It's definitely been a really difficult time for all of us. But this time last year, there was a lot of anger. And now, it's, 'How can we heal and move forward?' "

Daniel Hernandez, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' former intern who came to her aid after the shooting

"We'll never be the same. We'll never be normal again because of what occurred."

Albert Pesqueira, assistant fire chief for the Northwest Fire District in Tucson, one of the first responders

"(Gabe's) life was about giving service to others. . . . He was a public servant and social worker and proud of both. . . . He was viewed by many of his colleagues as a constituent whisperer."

Dr. Lattie Coor, former president of Arizona State University, speaking about slain Giffords staffer Gabe Zimmerman

"At 10:11 a.m., the first shots rang out, and in 30 seconds, 19 people lay wounded and dying. When Dorwan (Stoddard) saw the shooter coming their way, he pushed (his wife) Mavy to the ground and laid on top of her to protect her. . . . Mavy says that was his final act of love for her. As she cradled him, she encouraged him to breathe deeply, (and) 'Help will be here soon.' She told me she saw a smile on his face as he died in her arms, and she knows that this was a smile of love for her."

Ron Barber, Giffords staffer who survived two gunshot wounds, speaking about Dorwan Stoddard, who died shielding his wife from the bullets

"This is my backyard, and this is where I want to be and show people that we remember this. It just hits so close to home, and so many innocent people's lives were taken and changed forever. It gave me pause, and to think that we are just another part of all these communities where these tragedies have happened in the United States. There should be no reason for it."

Gail Gardiner, 70, who lives about a mile from the Safeway where the shooting happened

Lockheed says object part of 'sensor technology' testing that ended ThursdayWhat the heck is that thing? It's fair to assume that question was on the minds of many people who traveled along Colo. 128 south of Boulder this week if they happened to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a large, silver projectile perched alongside the highway and pointed north toward town.

PARIS (AP) — Bye, New York! Ciao, Milan! Bonjour, Paris! The world's largest traveling circus of fashion editors, models, buyers and journalists has descended on the French capital, clutching their metro maps and city guides, to cap the ready-to-wear fashion season. Full Story